Honest Opinion From Current Owners? - Re: R1S

[HopefullyR1S]

You realize that Musk is just one guy and there are 100K+ employees at Tesla, right? By your logic you should boycott Amazon and about a million other businesses. Remember when everyone in Seattle hated Amazon? Nope, because nobody remembers it anymore and now Amazon has like half of the entire ecommerce market. Elon is more than just Tesla, he's got a ton of other companies. So if you take that logic and extend it then don't use starlink internet on the plane and don't drive in a boring tunnel or ride in a tesla-uber when it comes out. In the end nobody will care and will buy Teslas and their services because they are an excellent product, and the consumer wins. I mean you can buy California spiney lobster for 4X the price of Main lobster if you want, but in the end it's just a financial decision.

Rivian is at best a niche manufacturer, most people still haven't even heard of them. My 2 cents on Rivian is that you need to make some allowances for them because they are a still new car company with low volume. They have a good brand and I hope that they can hold onto it and that they succeed. My wife loves her R1S.

I canceled Amazon account years ago as well. When buying online I go to directly to the companies website or buy local if possible.

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[ccharie]

OP-what about a used EQE 4 matic SUV? The range on the sedan is over 250 in the cold (we have one) and it’s a much smoother ride than the R1S. I love the R1S probably more but I use the space. Besides the used EQ’s have dropped like rocks and they are well made. Dealers close too.

 

[norivian]

Almost the same circumstances as you. My recommendation is to get a Gen 2 R1S. I just got me one coming from a Model Y.

 

[lefkonj]

You realize that Musk is just one guy and there are 100K+ employees at Tesla, right? By your logic you should boycott Amazon and about a million other businesses. Remember when everyone in Seattle hated Amazon? Nope, because nobody remembers it anymore and now Amazon has like half of the entire ecommerce market. Elon is more than just Tesla, he's got a ton of other companies. So if you take that logic and extend it then don't use starlink internet on the plane and don't drive in a boring tunnel or ride in a tesla-uber when it comes out. In the end nobody will care and will buy Teslas and their services because they are an excellent product, and the consumer wins. I mean you can buy California spiney lobster for 4X the price of Main lobster if you want, but in the end it's just a financial decision.

For years and years people chose not to buy German cars because of the ties to World War II, or Japanese for similar reasons. Everyone has there thing. I would never give Elon money if I had an alternative. He has shown who he is and it is not a good thing. Forget his politics, he is a just a bad person. Look at his handling of Twitter or Tesla employees or dozens of other examples where is has just been a terrible person. Plenty of people have said Tesla should kick him out, he isn't necessary anymore for the company and is only hurting it, I completely agree.

 

[Throwdown]

Hi
I currently own a model Y with 142,000 miles on it. I commute daily 180 miles, mainly in highways. I live in upper NY where it snows and there can be snow squalls when driving in the winter, highway maintenance crews can't keep up with the 1-2 feet of snow falling rapidly. My Y works but I run in to range issues in the winter. Also I am looking for a Musk alternative. I am on the wait list for R2, so another 2 years before I get my hands on it.

We do not have a local service center, nearest one is 5 hours away. How reliable are the R1Ss? I see so many negative comments and people selling their R1S due to poor construction and support.

Please be honest. Would you recommend a used R1S 2023 for my purpose? Range [need 225 miles on a single charge at temps in the low 10s], reliability and support if needed.

Thanks.

What's your closest porsche dealer? If you can afford an R1S but you clearly like the size of your MY, look into a macan 4 ev, it has 20 more kwh of usable battery than a MY, so 250 in the cold will be no issue. They've already tested them and exceed 300 miles of range at 70mph.

 

[Throwdown]

OP-what about a used EQE 4 matic SUV? The range on the sedan is over 250 in the cold (we have one) and it’s a much smoother ride than the R1S. I love the R1S probably more but I use the space. Besides the used EQ’s have dropped like rocks and they are well made. Dealers close too.

Wife has the eqe 500 and loves it, typical German ev always goes farther than it's stated range because it has battery capacity, it's not banking on efficiency for range like Tesla does

 

[Rae11]

I love my R1S. I would not get a second gen yet. A first gen used is an option. But you seriously have to consider whether or not you would be okay driving five hours to a service center. At some point, sooner or later, like all cars, you will have to take it for service.

 

[Rae11]

Thanks guys. Yes, R1S is too big for my needs, single driver daily commute. But I do not have an alternative than to buy another Tesla. Lucid Air is nice but no ground clearance only 4.6 inches. Frustrating that there is no alternative to Tesla and Musk.

There are. Volvo is a good option. Their polstar division is also an option.
Audi is an option. Scout will be an option in a few years but the other three are available now.

 

[JCRiver]

I bought a 2025 gen2 R1S 4 wks ago. The first major OTA software upgrade failed and now none of the driver assist features work. They say they cannot diagnose with mobile visit and have to bring to service center which is 3.5 hours away. I have a Tesla Model Y that is over 4 years old and never once had to bring to a service center, so when I bought the Riv I didn't anticipate the distance from SC being a big deal. At this point very frustrated and wishing I had made a different decision. Finding a day to take off work and drive 7 hours not even knowing if they'll be able to fix it that day is a major inconvenience in my life that I honestly should have considered more before buying this vehicle. I thought I was smart by waiting until gen2 to work out any kinks, but I guess there are just new kinks. My 2 cents.

 

[Rae11]

I bought a 2025 gen2 R1S 4 wks ago. The first major OTA software upgrade failed and now none of the driver assist features work. They say they cannot diagnose with mobile visit and have to bring to service center which is 3.5 hours away. I have a Tesla Model Y that is over 4 years old and never once had to bring to a service center, so when I bought the Riv I didn't anticipate the distance from SC being a big deal. At this point very frustrated and wishing I had made a different decision. Finding a day to take off work and drive 7 hours not even knowing if they'll be able to fix it that day is a major inconvenience in my life that I honestly should have considered more before buying this vehicle. I thought I was smart by waiting until gen2 to work out any kinks, but I guess there are just new kinks. My 2 cents.

Gen 2 is not a minor tweak. It’s almost completely new on the inside. Unfortunately, what’s done is done. But yes. If there isn’t a SC nearby, these are not the best choice. Many people have no major issues while others do. It’s not all bad but living near a SC will make life easier. Since you do live far away, I expect they will try to get it done quicker but highly unlikely it will be done while you wait. You’ll likely get a loaner from enterprise unless you can get lucky with a Rivian. Avoiding the sc unless you absolutely have to would be best.

 

[SurfnBike]

For years and years people chose not to buy German cars because of the ties to World War II, or Japanese for similar reasons. Everyone has there thing. I would never give Elon money if I had an alternative. He has shown who he is and it is not a good thing. Forget his politics, he is a just a bad person. Look at his handling of Twitter or Tesla employees or dozens of other examples where is has just been a terrible person. Plenty of people have said Tesla should kick him out, he isn't necessary anymore for the company and is only hurting it, I completely agree.

Suit yourself. In a year you'll probably move on to hating somebody else. Just remember that everyone is human and it's a downfall of human nature to hold public figures to model perfection--everyone is imperfect!

 

[Rae11]

Suit yourself. In a year you'll probably move on to hating somebody else. Just remember that everyone is human and it's a downfall of human nature to hold public figures to model perfection--everyone is imperfect!

No one said they expect perfection from Elon Musk. He should have stuck to what he was doing with Tesla instead of aspiring to be a James Bond villain.
If he keeps going the way he is going, he is gonna make a mistake that lands himself in jail.

 

[lefkonj]

Suit yourself. In a year you'll probably move on to hating somebody else. Just remember that everyone is human and it's a downfall of human nature to hold public figures to model perfection--everyone is imperfect!

I don't hold anyone to model perfection but I wouldn't support Musk haven't for a while. It is more than his support for a specific candidate, it is him period. I wouldn't support others music or movies based on their behavior either. People can change, not always for the better.

 

[cardad]

Hi
I currently own a model Y with 142,000 miles on it. I commute daily 180 miles, mainly in highways. I live in upper NY where it snows and there can be snow squalls when driving in the winter, highway maintenance crews can't keep up with the 1-2 feet of snow falling rapidly. My Y works but I run in to range issues in the winter. Also I am looking for a Musk alternative. I am on the wait list for R2, so another 2 years before I get my hands on it.

We do not have a local service center, nearest one is 5 hours away. How reliable are the R1Ss? I see so many negative comments and people selling their R1S due to poor construction and support.

Please be honest. Would you recommend a used R1S 2023 for my purpose? Range [need 225 miles on a single charge at temps in the low 10s], reliability and support if needed.

Thanks.

Reliability is generally good in terms of core functionality. Some of the horror stories are probably outliers. However, build quality and finish quality is all across the board and you may lose it if you make one of these 5 hr trips just for some defect that they then fail to get right. Just for reference I regularly keep my Rivians 4 hrs or so from any service center. Usually if there’s a major problem it’s unlikely that it hasn’t been taken care of already with a used one. And a lot of the problems have been refined (or made worse depending on your perspective) with software updates.

Range is very solid with the 21s at 2.3-2.4 mi/kwh so with winter preconditioning of the battery you can get well above 225 mi. The key is preconditioning as a cold battery/cabin leads to poor initial efficiency/range but even then you get over 225 miles at 100%.

I’ve taken the 21s on snow covered roads, up and down unplowed steep driveways, etc and they’ve been very solid. If you get them siped I’m sure they’d be more or less like a snow tire. The main downside is that the 21s feel squirrelly and definitely can be sketchy under some cornering situations. The new quads will have staggered tires which might help but some opt for 22s for better handling while others go for 20s to maximize tire options. If you can get a deal on one with 20s that might be your best bet but range will be more like 2.1 mi/kwh with ATs and they will be noisy. IMO there is no benefit to the ATs. I’ve taken the 21s around on some trails in Moab and I’d be pretty confident on most of the easier trails that I know with a spare.

 

[cardad]

I test drove a R1S in Austin. While the cabin itself was quiet, the car was loud when standing outside. Which was surprising for an EV. The show room guy said something about AC was loud?

I was surprised to hear such a loud motor in an EV. Anyone else notice it?

It’s not the “motor” you’re hearing. If it was a hot day then it’s likely the AC fan/compressor. You should hear an eco boost Ford on a hot day.

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